When the offense isn’t clicking, sometimes all it takes is one jolt of electricity to flip the momentum. On Sunday, that spark came from Rashid Shaheed, and it came in the form of a 100-yard lightning bolt.
Opening the second half against the Atlanta Falcons, Shaheed took the kickoff straight to the house-no hesitation, no wasted motion. Just pure speed, vision, and instinct.
It was the kind of play that doesn't just change the scoreboard-it changes the energy in the building. Suddenly, a sluggish Seattle offense had life, and the Seahawks had a 13-6 lead.
This wasn’t just any return, either. It marked Shaheed’s first career kick return touchdown, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
In just his fifth game with Seattle, the midseason acquisition made a statement-and then some. The Seahawks brought him in from New Orleans at the trade deadline on November 4, hoping his special teams prowess could add a new dimension.
On Sunday, that bet paid off in a big way.
Shaheed’s résumé as a return man was already solid before he arrived in the Pacific Northwest. Over four NFL seasons, he’s logged 47 career kick returns, but it was on punts where he previously made his mark-scoring twice for the Saints, once in 2023 and again in 2024. But this was his first time breaking one on a kickoff, and it was worth the wait.
For Seattle, it was a long time coming, too. The team hadn’t seen a kickoff return touchdown since Laviska Shenault Jr. went 97 yards to the end zone against the 49ers back in Week 6 of 2024.
That kind of play isn’t just rare-it’s game-changing. And Shaheed delivered it at a moment when the Seahawks needed a lift.
What stood out most on the return wasn’t just the speed-though there’s a reason fans call him “Sha-Speed Demon.” It was the decisiveness.
From the moment he fielded the ball, Shaheed saw the lane, hit it hard, and never looked back. No dancing, no second-guessing.
Just a straight shot up the middle, aided by textbook blocking and a burst that few in the league can match.
For a Seahawks team still searching for consistency on offense, Shaheed’s return was more than just six points. It was a reminder of how special teams can tilt the field, flip the script, and inject belief into a sideline. And for a player looking to make his mark with a new team, it was a highlight-reel moment that might just be the start of something bigger.
Seattle brought in Shaheed to be a difference-maker. On Sunday, he showed exactly why.